Despite its proximity to Toronto, if you don’t have a vehicle, Brampton is a very dull place. Cardboard cut out plazas and cookie cutter neighborhoods make up most of the town – suburb would be more applicable were it not for the town’s impressive amount of industry. Escaping to Toronto for diversion means a pleasant hour long bus ride followed by another fifty minutes of subway travel. Still, if that’s the most one has to pay to see the New Pornographers play live in Toronto, it’s well worth it.

Yes, it was a free show. But there was a catch: it was outdoors. Nathan Philips Square, one of Toronto’s several excellent outdoor venues, had been hosting live bands for the last three weekends as part of some sort of winter festival. And as if knowing it had been late in arriving that week, winter was been making up for lost time by blasting Toronto with bitterly cold winds. Temperatures the night of the concert were estimated at -15 to -20 degrees Celsius.

Having left the house late, Catherine, my host in Toronto, and I were able to enjoy the first few songs in relative warmth, as the run from the subway station warmed up right up. It may have been fiercely cold, but the size of the crowd in no way showed it. It was certainly a testament to the New Pornographers prowess to have a hefty crowd gather just to hear them play in these conditions. It could’ve also been a testament to the admission fee, but lets give the New Pornographers the benefit of the doubt.

The New Pornographers had already begun playing when we arrived. Carl Newman was delivering lyrics in his trademark voice, though some of the other New Pornographers, notably Neko Case and Dan Bejar, were absent. Nevertheless, the band delivered song after song in solid fashion.

It was at times comical to watch. The six band members were as bundled as most of the audience, ripping guitars in cut-off gloves; playing keyboards with scarves and hats covering their heads. Drummer Kurt Dhale tried to impress with some sticking twirling, but at every attempt would fail to catch his stick, although at no time missing a beat.

The whole evening became about keep warm. The usual dancing at shows was exaggerated ten-fold here - everyone bouncing, jumping and flailing desperately to keep warm. Some hipster father had his two year old child on his shoulders, not far from where we were standing. The kid was on a rollercoaster ride as his father jumped to “My Slow Decent into Alcoholism” and “From Blown Speakers.” In an effort to stem frostbite to the fingers, the band played some improvised funk melodies between songs. Newman joked, “Just don’t let me fall asleep!” This and other banter made for atmosphere of camaraderie; everyone was suffering, but reveling in the music all the same.

As fun as the show was, it was keep to about an hour in length. At the last song, fans cheer loudly, but no one really expected an encore. The New Pornographers nevertheless gave one anyway. A brief moment to warm their fingers and they were out again playing “Use it” – a reward to the audience for their perseverance. When it ended, everyone sadly knew this time it was over. A short, but powerful cheer then both band and crowd were gone to warmer environments. Almost no one was left when the organizer came out to wrap up the evening.

-Ludwik A. Sobiesiak

Well everyone. I think that is it for now. All Tomorrow’s Concerts is officially on indefinite hiatus until we figure out what we want to do with it. It may be a while. Please update your bookmarks accordingly. Thanks to everyone who read us, even once.